Scarlett's Wiki HOMEWORK #7 SPINOFF Machupo Virus Machupo virus is a deadly virus that kills within hours to a few days after symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, myalgia and arthralgia begin. You get these symptoms after about a week of contracting the virus. People would usually get it from mice; it can be contracted through the air; when dried mice urine is swept by the virus particles float in the air and then we breath it in. It can also be transmitted through food of an animal you ate or that animal had the virus and was nibbling on you veggies in the fields. Direct contact with the virus is of course another way to get it, but there are very little recorded cases of humans passing it on to other humans. Some people get very unlucky and have bleeding from the nasal and oral mucosa, the lung, stomach, intestine and urinary tracts. Some get tremors, loss of muscle control or seizures as well.Machupo is an Arenavirus; an enveloped virus with a bi-segmented negative strand of RNA. In electronic microscopy they look like grainy ribosomal particles, which is "arena in latin," which gave it the name Arenavirus. There is a vaccine for the Argentinean hemorrhagic virus which studies show does provide some protection against the Machupo virus.
"Arenavirus Infection." European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control . N.p., 2007. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/arenavirus/Pages/index.asp&xgt;
Dyal, Jamie, and Ben Fohner. "Machupo." Arenaviridae . N.p., 2005. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/arena/2005/MachupoVirus.htm>.
PERSONAL #10 Vampire Disease Hav you even thought you saw a vampire? Someone who stays int he dark because they get burned by it; they pee red as if they were drinking blood or they have sharp canine teeth that are a prominent feature in their look? These people are not vampires, but they do have what we call vampire disease as their symptoms are those that look just like vampires. They have an enzyme deficiency which makes their skin extremely sensitive to sun; which explains why it blisters and burns, sometimes on contact. Their urine can have a purplish-red color which would get people thinking that they drank blood. Their skin tightens, when it happens around the mouth the canine teeth come out and are more noticeable as in they had fangs. It also makes excess hair grow on your forehead. To make it all worse, garlic makes their symptoms worse, who'd have though! Basically what I'm saying is next time you think you see a vampire think twice because it could just be the vampire disease or more commonly known as among scientist, porphyria.
Have you ever heard of the Blue People of Kentucky? I haven't until now; it seems that these people have an enzyme deficiency which ends up giving them blue skin. After doctors ruled out heart diseases and lung diseases for these people, one doctor, by the name of Madison Cawein, thought that perhaps it was caused by methemoglobinemia, a rare hereditary blood disorder that results from excess levels of methemoglobin in the blood. Methemoglobin is blue and is a nonfunctional form of the red hemoglobin that carries oxygen; if you have excess levels of methemoglobin, you will in turn become blue. We can see this color blue in our veins through our skin. In normal people hemoglobin is turned into methemoglobin at a very slow rate. if this constantly happened, your body would not have anyhemoglobin left and you will turn blue like your veins, but the enzyme diaphorase would normally turn the methemoglobin back to hemoglobin making your skin the sweet pink color it is today. Madison Cawein took blood samples from these "blue people," as they were embarrassed to walk around and be blue and wanted to find a cure for whatever they had, and he found that they did not have the enzyme diaphorase in their system and as it was all of their hemoglobin was turning into methemoglobin, but not changing back; which explained why they were blue. He them set out to find a cure for this disorder. He first thought of methyleneblue, yes it is blue, strange that a blue dye will be able to turn someone back to the original color of pink; but it turns out that their body just needed something to help convert methemoglobin back to normal. Activating it requires adding a substance that acts as an electron donor to the blood, which methyleneblue does. There are other substances, but Cawein knew that this substance worked and that it worked quickly. Within a few minutes the blue color was gone from their skin and a pink color like most people replaced it. So next time you think about the strange color your skin is, white, black, tan, yellow, etc, imagine walking around like Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
About every person has a least one headache in their lifetime. The most common type of headache is called a tension headache; there have been many different names over the years for these headaches, but for now they are called tension headaches. Even though they are the most common type of headaches, the reasons behind it have been guessed at, but are unknown. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles that cover the skull. When those muscles are stressed, they spasm creating pain. The most common places for this pain are the back of the neck, the temples, and the forehead. The most common reason for these muscles to become stressed is because you yourself are stressed. Sitting for many hours doing a task that involves a lot of concentration, manual labour, or emotional stress. For treatments, most people just wait it out hoping it won't be a long headache, go to bed and hope that it will be gone when they wake up or over the counter medications like ibuprofen, tylenol and aspirin. Sometimes headaches are caused from withdrawal of headache medication. If you take a lot of headache medication when you have a headaches for a while, you may end up getting headaches from not taking that drug. Be careful how much medication you are taking for these headaches as you could be just making it worse!
PERSONAL #7 Effects of a Cleanse on Your Body First of all what is a cleanse? A cleanse is basically a body detoxification. It usually includes one or more of: dieting, fasting, consuming, exclusively, or avoiding specific foods. There are many types of cleanses such as: colon cleanse, the master cleanse, juice cleanse, skin cleanse, model detox diet, etc. They all consist of eating or drink specific things and staying away from others for typically a minimum of ten days. No one can say for sure whether cleanses actually do take the toxins from your body, but what can happen to your body in the process? The most common side effect is a headache within the first few days and other side effects include: diarrhea which can lead to dehydration, constipation, tiredness, irritability, acne, weight loss, a white film covering your tongue and hunger. Before trying a cleanse make sure you do a lot of research so you know you won't be hurting your body instead of helping it.
Barret, S. "Detoxification (alternative medicine)."Wikipedia. N.p., 31 Dec 2011. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification_(alternative_medicine)>.
Wong, Cathy. " Detox Diet: What You Need to Know About a Detox Diet." . N.p., 2011. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/DetoxBasics.htm>.
Burroughs, S. "Master Cleanse." Wikipedia. N.p., 12 Jan 2012. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Cleanse>. Detox Drinks Recipes. 2011. Photograph. n.p. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://www.detoxdrinks.info/>. Colon Cleanse. 2011. Photograph. n.p. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://slobdsm.com/236/detox-colon-cleanse-diet-3-very-important-things-to-include-in-your-detoxification-program/>.
HOMEWORK #6 The Hot Zone: Part 4 - Kitum Cave
The author himself, Richard Preston, visits the cave that began his book, Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon in Kenya. He talks about the highway they drove on to get there sometimes known as "AIDS Highway." He describes the surroundings and how the forest is grey all over except for the podocarpus trees that jump out at you for the green color they are. He suits up and enters the cave talking about the surroundings and the elephant markings on the walls, the sharp crystals with bats, spiders and insets; wondering is one of these things are carrying the virus that many are scared of. Once he's done he soaks everything in bleach and ends the book with him visiting the monkey house and saying "It will be back."
I enjoyed reading about the forest and the surroundings of them in the places they went and all the different colors. I think the cave would have been amazing to see with all the things he described are in there, even if I hate bugs and spiders. It would have been creepy too, knowing that you are entering a dark cave where people got sick and died a few weeks after entering the cave themselves. I remember when I went to Ottawa in grade 8 for an excursion, we went to these caves and we all shut off our headlights and tried to stay silent for thirty seconds in complete darkness, but we didn't succeed and it was intense in pitch black. Another thing I liked was when it compared us and the earth to an infection and it's host cell. The book said, "The earth is attempting to rid itself of an infection by the human parasite." It's weird if you think about it podocarpus tree that way, the earth is the host cell and we are the infection and we are multiplying and multiplying and over populating the cell and destroying it with our pollution and global warming and the earth's immune system is kicking in and producing these viruses to rid itself of the human parasites creating an infection living on it; and maybe one day the earth's immune system will succeed. The hot zone by richard preston. (2009). Retrieved from http://amateurbrilliance.com/recommended books.htmlPodocarpus. (2011, October 16). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podocarpus
HOMEWORK #5 The Hot Zone: Part 3 - Smashdown
Continuing on from part two, Jerry Jaax is put in charge of the team he assembled to enter the monkey house and eliminate the monkeys. They gather all the required equipment, level 4 biohazard stuff: suits, ventilators, drugs, needles, body bags, etc. The go from room to room putting the monkeys to sleep, taking a blood samples, killing the monkey, and cutting it open; day after day until there's none left. They hit a slight bump in the road when a monkey gets loose, but they decided to just leave it and eventually catch it. /meanwhile, Nancy Jaax was working back at her level 4 biohazard lab testing all the samples and looking at a few dead monkey bodies to determine if it is a new Ebola descendant, Ebola itself, or something else. They discover that it is a strain of Ebola in which humans are immune, and thank the lord for that because it turns out it is also airborne. Two workers at the monkey house became sick with something, and they did have the Ebola virus in them, but that was not their sickness. They named this strain of Ebola, Ebola Reston.
Ebola ZaireEbola Reston I thought it was scary that the new Ebola Reston virus can be transmitted through the air. It if was harmful to humans the way Ebola Zaire, or Ebola Sudan or even Marbourg was, we'd be in a lot of trouble. I can't think of a lot of viruses that are airborne, most are passed on by coughing, sneezing, sharing drinks, touching, kissing, etc. If a virus of that severity were to be airborne,the human race would suffer a devastating blow.
Richardson, J. (Designer). (2009). The virus ebola reston. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/02/24/ebola-virus-strain-found-in-6000-hogs/ Cydathria. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cydathria.com/ebola.html
HOMEWORK #4 The Hot Zone: Part 2 - The Monkey House
Monkeys are imported to the Reston, Virginia to a research facility called Hazelton Research. After seeing many of the monkeys died strangely, the veterinarian sends a sample of one of the dead monkeys to Fort Detrick for study. The believe it is Simian hemorrhagic fever virus, very harmful to monkeys, but harmless to humans. When tested, they discovered that it reacted with Nurse Mayinga's blood, which was infected with Ebola. They went crazy and began etting ready for a trip into the monkey house to eliminate the monkeys and take blood samples.
The part I liked the most about this section of the book was the diamond knife used to cut virus cells in slivers. Like we learned in class, cells are extremely tine, bacteria even smaller and virus particles smaller then that! I find it fascinating that you can have a knife so sharp that it can cut slivers from the cells of a virus that is the size of a bread crumb. As put it the book it is so sharp '"it would go through your skin without resistance, as if your skin were air, and it would split individual blood cells as it went through your finger.I also think it sucks that one little touch would ruin the blade because of skin oils and such. I wouldn't want to be walking down a dark alley and have a guy come at me with one of these! I thinks it's insane that it has the sharpest cutting edge of any tool on earth.Skip to 50 seconds.
(n.d.). Diatome ultra diamond knife. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/products/diamond/ultrathin.aspx
HOMEWORK #3 The Hot Zone: Part 1 - The Shadow of Mount Elgon
Charles Monet contracts Marbourg while visiting Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon in Kenya. He gets really sick until he dies and bleeds out in a waiting room in Nairobi hospital, infecting a doctor, Shem Musoke, in the process.
Te story of Nancy Jaax is told about she almost got infected with Ebola as the author explains all the precautions and procedures and biosafety levels for deadly viruses in a lab.
Tells a story of a little boy who visited the same cave and came down with it.
Some people got it from reused needles and Nurse Mayinga got it from a nun.
Ebola virus is spoken about and how it is a filovirus and the book talks about the different severities of Ebola, mainly Ebola Sudan and Ebola Zaire.
The author talks to the man that named Ebola.
I think it’s crazy that a little ten year old boy went on vacation and while visiting a popular tourist site and contracted the virus, became sick, and died. People travel all the time and could easily become sick while walking through the rain forest and bring that virus back home and give it to everybody they see, or touch. It makes you think that viruses could potentially own us; like all they have to do is attach to that one person and voila, the whole world is gone because they were smart enough to adapt to our ways and infect us and kill us slowly so they can infect others in the process.
They kept mentioning that if Ebola could teach itself to kill slower then we would most likely be all dead by now. That’s a scary thought because viruses change and adapt to other things everyday. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, Ebola will finally discover how to kill slowly and another war will break out that everyone has a major disadvantage in.
Tommy Afrika. (Designer). (n.d.). Kitum cave. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=154493
Frederic D. Grant. (Photographer). (n.d.). Richard preston preparing to enter kitum cave wearing a bioprotective suit.. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.richardpreston.net/guide/hz/download.html
(n.d.). Kitum cav, where ebola originated. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.lurvely.com/photo/2590286216/Kitum_cave_where_Ebola_originated/
(n.d.). Bats in kitum cave. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/izzie/africa2005/1120308780/tpod.html
PERSONAL #6 The Pregnancy Craving Theory About 85% of pregnant woman have at least one craving throughout their pregnancy. WOW! Imagine wanting something so badly you physical, emotionally, and mentally neeeeeed to have it. Craving's can get pretty intense like that. The most common cravings are sweet ice cream and salty pickles, no shocker there. But why do women have these sudden urges to eat a food? As of now no one knows the real reason. The theory most researches have are that it has to do with your hormones, but there is another that could be going somewhere too. Researches say that the foods pregnant women crave may have something to do with the nutrients their body is lacking at that moment. Say a woman is craving chocolate, this could be due to a shortage of vitamin B; or a woman is craving milk, meaning she lacks calcium; craving fruit, possibly in need of vitamin C. You could compare it to being hungry. When your stomach growls, it's communicating with you to eat some food. So when you're pregnant and are craving something, your boy could be telling you that you are at a shortage of that nutrient. Amazing how our body works!
Baby Center. (2010). Crazy cravings, 20 Nov, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/nutrition/whatwomencrave/
Brody, S. (n.d.). Pregnancy cravings, 20 Nov, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/nutrition/pregnant-cravings/
Karen. (Designer). (2011). Cravings during pregnancy . [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://howtogetpregnantadvice.org/food-cravings-during-pregnancy/
Courtney. (Designer). (2011). Coming clean about my pregnancy cravings… . [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://lifeatthirtysomething.com/2011/04/coming-clean-about-my-pregnancy-cravings…/
HOMEWORK #2 Stem Cells We've all learned about stem cells in class, so we all know what they are, but is it right what we're doing? Are we taking eggs and sperm and creating embryos or a new life? Does everything have a purpose meaning we shouldn't use science to have a baby if we can't conceive ourselves as it goes against God's will? Should the government decided what's going on or should the scientists with the knowledge be making the decisions? We all have different opinions, but here's mine: IVF (in vitro fertilization) is used everyday for women who cannot conceive naturally. Once you have put embryos into the uterus you are left with extra embryos; what should be done with these? In my opinion these should be donated by the clients and used for research. Why spend money to create some for research when you have extra ones that won't be used otherwise and that were created for a better purpose? If we have technology to improve human life, I believe we should use it and buildon that technology, with limitations though; depending on what that technologyis is what I mean. The world is evolving and if we didn't use and build on thenewtechnologies we develop,we won't be getting anywhere new in life. Stem cell research is going to benefit us in the future, so we should contribute to it in some way; which would be by taxpayer monies going to embryonic stem cell research facilities. The government should have a say and should have labs and such inspected to make sure everything and everyone is doing what they're supposed to, but I also believe that the licensed scientists should have aninput into what goes on in the labs without getting into anything illegal. I believe that adult stem cell laws should differ from embryonic stem cell laws for the sole reason that you can do different things with each. Embryonic stem cells can become almost anything, giving a lot more things that can be done illegally; while adult stem cells have specific paths laid out for them, making there less options for illegal activity. Therapeutic cloning should be permitted as you can decide what cell will be multiplying. You can make organs and skin and almost anything else in your body that will be able to go to those who need, and maybe one day you or someone yo know will benefit from this research andyou will be happy that it exists.
Muslim. Human Embryonic Development . N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 19 Nov 2011. <http://nicheoftruth.org/pages/human_embryonic_development.asp>.
PERSONAL #5 Iron Deficiency Anemia This is the most common form of anemia. Anemia is when your body doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells. Iron is a key factor in making red blood cells so when there is a lack of iron your body will make fewer or smaller red blood cells thus, iron deficiency anemia. Your body will get this iron from eating or re-using the iron from old red blood cells. Causes of iron deficiency anemia are:- Your body cannot absorb iron properly- You don't eat enough iron filled food- Your body needs more iron then usual- Frequent bleeding Early symptoms of anemia are:- Feeling grumpy- Feeling weak or tired more often than usual- Headaches- Problems concentrating or thinking As the anemia develops symptoms may be:- Blue color to the whites of the eyes- Brittle nails- Light-headness when you stand up- Pale skin color- Shortness of breath- Sore tongue
Chen, Y. (2011). Iron deficiency anemia. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001610/
(2011). Retrieved from http://www.unitedhealthdirectory.com/
PERSONAL #4 Is your hair grey yet? Each hair on your head is made up of two different parts: the shaft,the partwe see that's colored, brown blonde, red etc; and the root, thepart you can't see inside your head. The root of each strand is coveredby a tube like tissue called the follicle which contains pigments cells thatcontinuously produce a chemical called melanin. Melanin gives the hair its color, the skin it's color, whether you'll burnor tan in the sun. The amount of melanin each hair will decided on how darkof light your hair will be as well. As we get older the pigment cells in our hair die lessand less melanin is produced which turns into less melanin in the hair follicle.It's like if you leave a piece of colored construction paper out in the sun, thecolor will fade. No melanin no color, so we get a transparent, grey whitecolor instead of the pretty, luscious shade's of blonde, brown and red.This can happen to anyone at almost any time. It mostly depends onyour genes, so you will begin to turn grey when you parents or grand parentsbegan to have the unwanted hair color!
PERSONAL #3 What's sooooooo great about the wheatgrass in Booster Juice? By squeezing wheatgrass you get a dark green juice filled with vitamins ,minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and chlorophyll. It is high in Vitamin C, A, B, and E, also it contains many minerals needed to maintain a good metabolism. Wheatgrass itself contains calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. - Some enzymes that are found in wheatgrass juice are: protease, which assists in protein digestion; cytrochrome oxidase, and anti-oxidant used for proper cell restoration; lipase, a fat splitting enzyme; transhydrogenase, helps keep muscles tissue of the heart toned; and more.
- About 20 amino acids are also found in wheatgrass, including; alanione, a blood builder; asparatic acid, converts food to energy; glutamic acid, improves mental balance; arginine, stimulates brain ann nerve functions; and more. - According to Dr. G.H. Earp Thomas, chlorophyll is "the richest nutritional liquid known to man." It benefits the body in many ways such as: rebuilds the blood stream,releases heavy metals, improves blood sugar problems, neutralizes toxins in the body, helps purify the liver and wash drug deposits form the body, increases endurance during physical exercise, and more. To receive the maximum health benefits you should drink within two minutes after the juicing. If you want to put all these good things into your body, ask for a shot of wheatgrass on your next booster juice visit and enjoy.
(2007). Booster juice: faq’s. Retrieved from http://www.boosterjuice.com/pdfs/faq.pdf
Wishewan, D. (Designer). (2007).Booster juice. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.tropikalstorm.com/?p=menus/home
PERSONAL #2 Spanish Flu Usually extreme cases of the flu kills children or the elderly, but when the Spanish flu outbreak began it 1918, it was killing young adults between the ages of 20-35. It was said to be because adults of that age had stronger immune systems and the flu would overreact the immune system, making it go out of control. Since the elderly and the young had weaker immune systems, it resulted in fewer deaths. It came in three waves, the first was very contagious, the second was very contagious and very deadly, and the third was less deadly then the second but more deadly then the first.To catch this flu is basically like any other flu. Skin to skin contact, a sneeze, a cough, you touch somewhere they touched... The earlier cases of the disease were killed within a few hours, and as people got more notified that turned into a few days. About 3% of the world's population at that time died of the Spanish flu and about 25% of the population at that time were infected. 10% to 20% of people infected died of the disease.They believe that the first case of the Spanish flu was in Spain, hence the name, and spread to Russia, India, China and Africa. After that the first wave seemed to be dying out, until three cites were struck with the second wave at the same time, Boston, USA; Brest, France and Freetown, Sierra Leone, thus covering almost all places.
Symptoms of this disease were terrible and included: extreme fatigue, fever, headaches, and victims would turn so blue you wouldn't be able to tell there skin color. They would cough so hard that they would tear their abdominal muscles; foamy blood would come out of their mouths and nose. A few would bleed from their ears and some would vomit or become incontinent.Some say this flu was terminated in the spring of 1919, while others believe the cases stopped in the 1920's. To this day there is still no answers as to why the flu mutated into something so deadly or how to prevent it from happening again. Scientist took samples and have been researching and doing test as to try to be able to prevent any other outbreak of the flu that might occur in the future.
PERSONAL #1 Smallpox It was once a very deadly disease killing mostly children and young adults. It is most contagious during the first week of the infections and can spread quite easily from one another through, saliva, clothing, etc. All known cases of the virus were eliminated in the 1970's and vaccinations for this disease stopped around 1980 around the world. There are two forms of smallpox: variola major, which can be deadly to those who have not been vaccinated; and variola minor, which isn't as severe and rarely causes death. Some samples of the disease were kept for government research. Nowadays you should only contract the disease if you work with it in a laboratory or if it was used as a biological weapon. Symptoms include: backache, delirium, diarrhea, excessive bleeding, fatigue, high fever, raised pink rash, severe headache and vomiting. Vyas, J. (2011). Smallpox. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002332/Eden, D. (Designer). (2008).Smallpox. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://viewzone2.com/smallpoxx.html
HOMEWORK #1
The attack of HIV
HIV can only make new copies of itself within a human cell. Once inside the body the HIV cells can only begin the replication process when it comes in contact with a special protein called CD4. CD4 is only found on the surface of a certain type of white blood cells called T helper cells. The spikes on the HIV cell attach to the CD4 and the viral envelope is fused with the cell membrane, releasing the virus into the cell. It goes through a process called reverse transcriptase where single strand of RNA is transformed into single stranded DNA and is transported to the nucleus as it is compatible with human genetic material. In the nucleus it then goes through a process called integration where a reverse transcription process is done. It is similar to reverse transcriptase but takes two single strands of RNA and transforms them into one double strand of DNA. Once that is done, the HIV DNA is known as provirus. It may stay within the cell for a long period of time without really doing anything. When the cell becomes activated it turns the HIV genes into messenger RNA the same way human genes are. The messenger RNA is brought outside of the nucleus and is used as a blueprint for new HIV proteins and enzymes. In the strand of the messenger RNA are copies of HIV genetic material. They get together with the HIV proteins and enzymes to make new small pieces of the virus, which are released from the cell. The enzyme protease cuts up long strands of protein into smaller pieces which are use to create mature shells around the small virus pieces. Now that they are mature, they can infect other cells and begin the replication process all over again.
Definitions: Viral envelope: used to help viruses enter host cell. -host cells ex: human cells RNA (ribonucleic acid): contains the sugar ribose and is usually single stranded. Retrovirus genes are composed of this instead of DNA like humans. Retrovirus: virus that is duplicated in a host cell using the reverse transcriptase. Reverse transcriptase: transforming single stranded RNA into singe stranded DNA. Messenger RNA: like a blueprint for a protein product. Protease: an enzyme that digests proteins. CD4: only found on the surface of T helper cells, a certain type of white blood cell. Reverse transcription: when two single strands of RNA are transformed into one double strand of DNA. Enzyme: proteins that increase the rates on chemical reaction. Molecule: a neutral group of at least two atoms held together by a chemical bond.
Nielsen, H., Pedersen, F., & Kjems, J. (2005). Molecular strategies to inhibit hiv-1 replication. Retrieved from __http://__ www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC553987/ *info and image was taken from the one below, but did not have any author, date of publication etc. and their info was taken from the one above so I added that one as well.* (n.d.). The structure of hiv. Retrieved from __http://www.avert.org/hiv-virus.htm__
HOMEWORK #7 SPINOFF
Machupo Virus
Machupo virus is a deadly virus that kills within hours to a few days after symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, myalgia and arthralgia begin. You get these symptoms after about a week of contracting the virus. People would usually get it from mice; it can be contracted through the air; when dried mice urine is swept by the virus particles float in the air and then we breath it in. It can also be transmitted through food of an animal you ate or that animal had the virus and was nibbling on you veggies in the fields. Direct contact with the virus is of course another way to get it, but there are very little recorded cases of humans passing it on to other humans. Some people get very unlucky and have bleeding from the nasal and oral mucosa, the lung, stomach, intestine and urinary tracts. Some get tremors, loss of muscle control or seizures as well.
There is a vaccine for the Argentinean hemorrhagic virus which studies show does provide some protection against the Machupo virus.
"Arenavirus Infection." European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control . N.p., 2007. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/arenavirus/Pages/index.asp&xgt;
Dyal, Jamie, and Ben Fohner. "Machupo." Arenaviridae . N.p., 2005. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/arena/2005/MachupoVirus.htm>.
PERSONAL #10
Vampire Disease
Hav you even thought you saw a vampire? Someone who stays int he dark because they get burned by it; they pee red as if they were drinking blood or they have sharp canine teeth that are a prominent feature in their look? These people are not vampires, but they do have what we call vampire disease as their symptoms are those that look just like vampires. They have an enzyme deficiency which makes their skin extremely sensitive to sun; which explains why it blisters and burns, sometimes on contact. Their urine can have a purplish-red color which would get people thinking that they drank blood. Their skin tightens, when it happens around the mouth the canine teeth come out and are more noticeable as in they had fangs. It also makes excess hair grow on your forehead. To make it all worse, garlic makes their symptoms worse, who'd have though! Basically what I'm saying is next time you think you see a vampire think twice because it could just be the vampire disease or more commonly known as among scientist, porphyria.
Kujtan, Peter. "Porphyria: The Vampire Disease."Mississauga News. N.p., 2005. Web. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.bydewey.com/drkporphyria.html>
Three Medical Conditions You Would Be Certain Didn't Exist . N.d. Photograph. cracked.comWeb. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.cracked.com/funny-6293-three-medical-conditions-you-would-be-certain-didnt-exist/>
Porphyia a rare Disease. 2009. Photograph. Documenting RealityWeb. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f149/cutaneous-porphyria-17833/>
PERSONAL #9
Blue People
Trost, Cathy. "The Blue People of Troublesome Creek."rootsweb. N.p., 1982. Web. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kyperry3/Blue_Fugates_Troublesome_Creek.html>
Health: The Blue People. 2007. Photograph. NRXWeb. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.brandweeknrx.com/2007/10/health-the-blue.html>
PERSONAL #8
Headaches
About every person has a least one headache in their lifetime. The most common type of headache is called a tension headache; there have been many different names over the years for these headaches, but for now they are called tension headaches. Even though they are the most common type of headaches, the reasons behind it have been guessed at, but are unknown. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles that cover the skull. When those muscles are stressed, they spasm creating pain. The most common places for this pain are the back of the neck, the temples, and the forehead. The most common reason for these muscles to become stressed is because you yourself are stressed. Sitting for many hours doing a task that involves a lot of concentration, manual labour, or emotional stress. For treatments, most people just wait it out hoping it won't be a long headache, go to bed and hope that it will be gone when they wake up or over the counter medications like ibuprofen, tylenol and aspirin. Sometimes headaches are caused from withdrawal of headache medication. If you take a lot of headache medication when you have a headaches for a while, you may end up getting headaches from not taking that drug. Be careful how much medication you are taking for these headaches as you could be just making it worse!
Lee, Dennis, and Harley Kornblum. "Headache."medicinenet.com. N.p., 08/04/2010. Web. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.medicinenet.com/headache/page2.htm>
PERSONAL #7
Effects of a Cleanse on Your Body
First of all what is a cleanse? A cleanse is basically a body detoxification. It usually includes one or more of: dieting, fasting, consuming, exclusively, or avoiding specific foods. There are many types of cleanses such as: colon cleanse, the master cleanse, juice cleanse, skin cleanse, model detox diet, etc. They all consist of eating or drink specific things and staying away from others for typically a minimum of ten days. No one can say for sure whether cleanses actually do take the toxins from your body, but what can happen to your body in the process?
The most common side effect is a headache within the first few days and other side effects include: diarrhea which can lead to dehydration, constipation, tiredness, irritability, acne, weight loss, a white film covering your tongue and hunger. Before trying a cleanse make sure you do a lot of research so you know you won't be hurting your body instead of helping it.
Barret, S. "Detoxification (alternative medicine)."Wikipedia. N.p., 31 Dec 2011. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification_(alternative_medicine)>.
Wong, Cathy. " Detox Diet: What You Need to Know About a Detox Diet." . N.p., 2011. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/DetoxBasics.htm>.
Burroughs, S. "Master Cleanse." Wikipedia. N.p., 12 Jan 2012. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Cleanse>.
Detox Drinks Recipes. 2011. Photograph. n.p. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://www.detoxdrinks.info/>.
Colon Cleanse. 2011. Photograph. n.p. Web. 15 Jan 2012. <http://slobdsm.com/236/detox-colon-cleanse-diet-3-very-important-things-to-include-in-your-detoxification-program/>.
HOMEWORK #6
The Hot Zone: Part 4 - Kitum Cave
I enjoyed reading about the forest and the surroundings of them in the places they went and all the different colors. I think the cave would have been amazing to see with all the things he described are in there, even if I hate bugs and spiders. It would have been creepy too, knowing that you are entering a dark cave where people got sick and died a few weeks after entering the cave themselves. I remember when I went to Ottawa in grade 8 for an excursion, we went to these caves and we all shut off our headlights and tried to stay silent for thirty seconds in complete darkness, but we didn't succeed and it was intense in pitch black. Another thing I liked was when it compared us and the earth to an infection and it's host cell. The book said, "The earth is attempting to rid itself of an infection by the human parasite." It's weird if you think about it
podocarpus tree
that way, the earth is the host cell and we are the infection and we are multiplying and multiplying and over populating the cell and destroying it with our pollution and global warming and the earth's immune system is kicking in and producing these viruses to rid itself of the human parasites creating an infection living on it; and maybe one day the earth's immune system will succeed.
The hot zone by richard preston. (2009). Retrieved from http://amateurbrilliance.com/recommended books.htmlPodocarpus. (2011, October 16). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podocarpus
HOMEWORK #5
The Hot Zone: Part 3 - Smashdown
Ebola ZaireEbola Reston
I thought it was scary that the new Ebola Reston virus can be transmitted through the air. It if was harmful to humans the way Ebola Zaire, or Ebola Sudan or even Marbourg was, we'd be in a lot of trouble. I can't think of a lot of viruses that are airborne, most are passed on by coughing, sneezing, sharing drinks, touching, kissing, etc. If a virus of that severity were to be airborne,the human race would suffer a devastating blow.
Richardson, J. (Designer). (2009). The virus ebola reston. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/02/24/ebola-virus-strain-found-in-6000-hogs/
Cydathria. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cydathria.com/ebola.html
HOMEWORK #4
The Hot Zone: Part 2 - The Monkey House
The part I liked the most about this section of the book was the diamond knife used to cut virus cells in slivers. Like we learned in class, cells are extremely tine, bacteria even smaller and virus particles smaller then that! I find it fascinating that you can have a knife so sharp that it can cut slivers from the cells of a virus that is the size of a bread crumb. As put it the book it is so sharp '"it would go through your skin without resistance, as if your skin were air, and it would split individual blood cells as it went through your finger.I also think it sucks that one little touch would ruin the blade because of skin oils and such. I wouldn't want to be walking down a dark alley and have a guy come at me with one of these! I thinks it's insane that it has the sharpest cutting edge of any tool on earth.
(n.d.). Diatome ultra diamond knife. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/products/diamond/ultrathin.aspx
HOMEWORK #3
The Hot Zone: Part 1 - The Shadow of Mount Elgon
I think it’s crazy that a little ten year old boy went on vacation and while visiting a popular tourist site and contracted the virus, became sick, and died. People travel all the time and could easily become sick while walking through the rain forest and bring that virus back home and give it to everybody they see, or touch. It makes you think that viruses could potentially own us; like all they have to do is attach to that one person and voila, the whole world is gone because they were smart enough to adapt to our ways and infect us and kill us slowly so they can infect others in the process.
They kept mentioning that if Ebola could teach itself to kill slower then we would most likely be all dead by now. That’s a scary thought because viruses change and adapt to other things everyday. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, Ebola will finally discover how to kill slowly and another war will break out that everyone has a major disadvantage in.
Tommy Afrika. (Designer). (n.d.). Kitum cave. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=154493
Frederic D. Grant. (Photographer). (n.d.). Richard preston preparing to enter kitum cave wearing a bioprotective suit.. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.richardpreston.net/guide/hz/download.html
(n.d.). Kitum cav, where ebola originated. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.lurvely.com/photo/2590286216/Kitum_cave_where_Ebola_originated/
(n.d.). Bats in kitum cave. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/izzie/africa2005/1120308780/tpod.html
PERSONAL #6
The Pregnancy Craving Theory
About 85% of pregnant woman have at least one craving throughout their pregnancy. WOW! Imagine wanting something so badly you physical, emotionally, and mentally neeeeeed to have it. Craving's can get pretty intense like that. The most common cravings are sweet ice cream and salty pickles, no shocker there. But why do women have these sudden urges to eat a food? As of now no one knows the real reason. The theory most researches have are that it has to do with your hormones, but there is another that could be going somewhere too. Researches say that the foods pregnant women crave may have something to do with the nutrients their body is lacking at that moment. Say a woman is craving chocolate, this could be due to a shortage of vitamin B; or a woman is craving milk, meaning she lacks calcium; craving fruit, possibly in need of vitamin C. You could compare it to being hungry. When your stomach growls, it's communicating with you to eat some food. So when you're pregnant and are craving something, your boy could be telling you that you are at a shortage of that nutrient. Amazing how our body works!
Baby Center. (2010). Crazy cravings, 20 Nov, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/nutrition/whatwomencrave/
Brody, S. (n.d.). Pregnancy cravings, 20 Nov, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/nutrition/pregnant-cravings/
Karen. (Designer). (2011). Cravings during pregnancy . [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://howtogetpregnantadvice.org/food-cravings-during-pregnancy/
Courtney. (Designer). (2011). Coming clean about my pregnancy cravings… . [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://lifeatthirtysomething.com/2011/04/coming-clean-about-my-pregnancy-cravings…/
HOMEWORK #2
Stem Cells
We've all learned about stem cells in class, so we all know what they are, but is it right what we're doing? Are we taking eggs and sperm and creating embryos or a new life? Does everything have a purpose meaning we shouldn't use science to have a baby if we can't conceive ourselves as it goes against God's will? Should the government decided what's going on or should the scientists with the knowledge be making the decisions? We all have different opinions, but here's mine:
IVF (in vitro fertilization) is used everyday for women who cannot conceive naturally. Once you have put embryos into the uterus you are left with extra embryos; what should be done with these? In my opinion these should be donated by the clients and used for research. Why spend money to create some for research when you have extra ones that won't be used otherwise and that were created for a better purpose?
If we have technology to improve human life, I believe we should use it and buildon that technology, with limitations though; depending on what that technologyis is what I mean. The world is evolving and if we didn't use and build on thenewtechnologies we develop,we won't be getting anywhere new in life.
Stem cell research is going to benefit us in the future, so we should contribute to it in some way; which would be by taxpayer monies going to embryonic stem cell research facilities.
The government should have a say and should have labs and such inspected to make sure everything and everyone is doing what they're supposed to, but I also believe that the licensed scientists should have aninput into what goes on in the labs without getting into anything illegal.
I believe that adult stem cell laws should differ from embryonic stem cell laws for the sole reason that you can do different things with each. Embryonic stem cells can become almost anything, giving a lot more things that can be done illegally; while adult stem cells have specific paths laid out for them, making there less options for illegal activity.
Therapeutic cloning should be permitted as you can decide what cell will be multiplying. You can make organs and skin and almost anything else in your body that will be able to go to those who need, and maybe one day you or someone yo know will benefit from this research andyou will be happy that it exists.
Muslim. Human Embryonic Development . N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 19 Nov 2011. <http://nicheoftruth.org/pages/human_embryonic_development.asp>.
PERSONAL #5
Iron Deficiency Anemia
This is the most common form of anemia. Anemia is when your body doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells. Iron is a key factor in making red blood cells so when there is a lack of iron your body will make fewer or smaller red blood cells thus, iron deficiency anemia. Your body will get this iron from eating or re-using the iron from old red blood cells.
Early symptoms of anemia are:- Feeling grumpy- Feeling weak or tired more often than usual- Headaches- Problems concentrating or thinking
As the anemia develops symptoms may be:- Blue color to the whites of the eyes- Brittle nails- Light-headness when you stand up- Pale skin color- Shortness of breath- Sore tongue
Chen, Y. (2011). Iron deficiency anemia. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001610/
(2011). Retrieved from http://www.unitedhealthdirectory.com/
PERSONAL #4
Is your hair grey yet?
Each hair on your head is made up of two different parts: the shaft,the partwe see that's colored, brown blonde, red etc; and the root, thepart you can't see inside your head. The root of each strand is coveredby a tube like tissue called the follicle which contains pigments cells thatcontinuously produce a chemical called melanin.
Melanin gives the hair its color, the skin it's color, whether you'll burnor tan in the sun. The amount of melanin each hair will decided on how darkof light your hair will be as well.
As we get older the pigment cells in our hair die lessand less melanin is produced which turns into less melanin in the hair follicle.It's like if you leave a piece of colored construction paper out in the sun, thecolor will fade. No melanin no color, so we get a transparent, grey whitecolor instead of the pretty, luscious shade's of blonde, brown and red.This can happen to anyone at almost any time. It mostly depends onyour genes, so you will begin to turn grey when you parents or grand parentsbegan to have the unwanted hair color!
Argosy Medical for Visible Body. (Producer) (2010). Grey hair[Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xph-Apoub1k
Gavin, M. (2010). Why does hair turn grey?. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/grownup/getting_older/gray_hair.html
PERSONAL #3
What's sooooooo great about the wheatgrass in Booster Juice?
By squeezing wheatgrass you get a dark green juice filled with vitamins ,minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and chlorophyll. It is high in Vitamin C, A, B, and E, also it contains many minerals needed to maintain a good metabolism. Wheatgrass itself contains calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.
- Some enzymes that are found in wheatgrass juice are: protease, which assists in protein digestion; cytrochrome oxidase, and anti-oxidant used for proper cell restoration; lipase, a fat splitting enzyme; transhydrogenase, helps keep muscles tissue of the heart toned; and more.
- About 20 amino acids are also found in wheatgrass, including; alanione, a blood builder; asparatic acid, converts food to energy; glutamic acid, improves mental balance; arginine, stimulates brain ann nerve functions; and more.
- According to Dr. G.H. Earp Thomas, chlorophyll is "the richest nutritional liquid known to man." It benefits the body in many ways such as: rebuilds the blood stream,releases heavy metals, improves blood sugar problems, neutralizes toxins in the body, helps purify the liver and wash drug deposits form the body, increases endurance during physical exercise, and more.
To receive the maximum health benefits you should drink within two minutes after the juicing. If you want to put all these good things into your body, ask for a shot of wheatgrass on your next booster juice visit and enjoy.
(2007). Booster juice: faq’s. Retrieved from http://www.boosterjuice.com/pdfs/faq.pdf
Wishewan, D. (Designer). (2007).Booster juice. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.tropikalstorm.com/?p=menus/home
PERSONAL #2
Spanish Flu
Usually extreme cases of the flu kills children or the elderly, but when the Spanish flu outbreak began it 1918, it was killing young adults between the ages of 20-35. It was said to be because adults of that age had stronger immune systems and the flu would overreact the immune system, making it go out of control. Since the elderly and the young had weaker immune systems, it resulted in fewer deaths. It came in three waves, the first was very contagious, the second was very contagious and very deadly, and the third was less deadly then the second but more deadly then the first.To catch this flu is basically like any other flu. Skin to skin contact, a sneeze, a cough, you touch somewhere they touched... The earlier cases of the disease were killed within a few hours, and as people got more notified that turned into a few days. About 3% of the world's population at that time died of the Spanish flu and about 25% of the population at that time were infected. 10% to 20% of people infected died of the disease.They believe that the first case of the Spanish flu was in Spain, hence the name, and spread to Russia, India, China and Africa. After that the first wave seemed to be dying out, until three cites were struck with the second wave at the same time, Boston, USA; Brest, France and Freetown,
Sierra Leone, thus covering almost all places.
Symptoms of this disease were terrible and included: extreme fatigue, fever, headaches, and victims would turn so blue you wouldn't be able to tell there skin color. They would cough so hard that they would tear their abdominal muscles; foamy blood would come out of their mouths and nose. A few would bleed from their ears and some would vomit or become incontinent.Some say this flu was terminated in the spring of 1919, while others believe the cases stopped in the 1920's. To this day there is still no answers as to why the flu mutated into something so deadly or how to prevent it from happening again. Scientist took samples and have been researching and doing test as to try to be able to prevent any other outbreak of the flu that might occur in the future.
Whimpey, J. (Designer). (2009).1918 spanish flu ward-is history repeating?. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://symonsez.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/obama-declares-swine-flu-national-emergency-has-1918-spanish-flu-returned/ Billings, M. (1997). The influenza pandemic of 1918. Retrieved from http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/Rosenberg, J. (n.d.). 1918 spanish flu pandemic. Retrieved from http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/p/spanishflu.htm
Chicago. (Designer). (2011). Flyers posted around chicago to prevent the spread of the influenza epidemic. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://opensourcetheatreproject.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/1918/
PERSONAL #1
Smallpox
It was once a very deadly disease killing mostly children and young adults. It is most contagious during the first week of the infections and can spread quite easily from one another through, saliva, clothing, etc. All known cases of the virus were eliminated in the 1970's and vaccinations for this disease stopped around 1980 around the world. There are two forms of smallpox: variola major, which can be deadly to those who have not been vaccinated; and variola minor, which isn't as severe and rarely causes death. Some samples of the disease were kept for government research. Nowadays you should only contract the disease if you work with it in a laboratory or if it was used as a biological weapon. Symptoms include: backache, delirium, diarrhea, excessive bleeding, fatigue, high fever, raised pink rash, severe headache and vomiting.
Vyas, J. (2011). Smallpox. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002332/Eden, D. (Designer). (2008).Smallpox. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://viewzone2.com/smallpoxx.html
HOMEWORK #1
The attack of HIV
HIV can only make new copies of itself within a human cell. Once inside the body the HIV cells can only begin the replication process when it comes in contact with a special protein called CD4. CD4 is only found on the surface of a certain type of white blood cells called T helper cells. The spikes on the HIV cell attach to the CD4 and the viral envelope is fused with the cell membrane, releasing the virus into the cell. It goes through a process called reverse transcriptase where single strand of RNA is transformed into single stranded DNA and is transported to the nucleus as it is compatible with human genetic material. In the nucleus it then goes through a process called integration where a reverse transcription process is done. It is similar to reverse transcriptase but takes two single strands of RNA and transforms them into one double strand of DNA. Once that is done, the HIV DNA is known as provirus. It may stay within the cell for a long period of time without really doing anything. When the cell becomes activated it turns the HIV genes into messenger RNA the same way human genes are. The messenger RNA is brought outside of the nucleus and is used as a blueprint for new HIV proteins and enzymes. In the strand of the messenger RNA are copies of HIV genetic material. They get together with the HIV proteins and enzymes to make new small pieces of the virus, which are released from the cell. The enzyme protease cuts up long strands of protein into smaller pieces which are use to create mature shells around the small virus pieces. Now that they are mature, they can infect other cells and begin the replication process all over again.
Definitions:
Viral envelope: used to help viruses enter host cell. -host cells ex: human cells
RNA (ribonucleic acid): contains the sugar ribose and is usually single stranded. Retrovirus genes are composed of this instead of DNA like humans.
Retrovirus: virus that is duplicated in a host cell using the reverse transcriptase.
Reverse transcriptase: transforming single stranded RNA into singe stranded DNA.
Messenger RNA: like a blueprint for a protein product.
Protease: an enzyme that digests proteins.
CD4: only found on the surface of T helper cells, a certain type of white blood cell.
Reverse transcription: when two single strands of RNA are transformed into one double strand of DNA.
Enzyme: proteins that increase the rates on chemical reaction.
Molecule: a neutral group of at least two atoms held together by a chemical bond.
Nielsen, H., Pedersen, F., & Kjems, J. (2005). Molecular strategies to inhibit hiv-1 replication. Retrieved from __http://__
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC553987/
*info and image was taken from the one below, but did not have any author, date of publication etc. and their info was taken from the one above so I added that one as well.*
(n.d.). The structure of hiv. Retrieved from __http://www.avert.org/hiv-virus.htm__